Just as I can reach in the closet and pull out a gift, I can also reach into that vast store of memories I have, and pull one out to share. Since my husband died, I’ve realized the importance of pulling out memories and stories to share with our family and friends, so that his presence is still part of us.

Thus, if you’re a woman whose partner died (a WWPD), save whatever you want to save, if it makes you feel better. Eventually, you may let it go, but maybe now is not the time.

With their dad’s memory cheering them on, and with help and support from lots of friends, volunteers, sponsors, and professional as well as amateur golfers, Chuck and Tom Nettles launched the Timothy E. Nettles Memorial Invitational Tournament in September 2020, held at St. Clair Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I have learned that pure joy can happen in some of the most unexpected, unplanned, and even unlikely moments. Maybe it’s because there were no expectations of such moments. They just happened, yet they made me stop and wonder at how good they made me feel.

What is benefit finding? It’s a term psychologists use for the seemingly illogical phenomenon of experiencing something really awful (such as the loss of a loved one), but then realizing a positive outcome.

…people just generally don’t know how to handle talking about death. Funeral homes tend to freak people out. So, I’ll give that guy some grace and assume that he didn’t intend to be rude. After all, he did care enough to show up.

My purpose has been to help women who have experienced the loss of a partner and are searching for ways to manage grief with positivity and a sense of humor.

Everyone has a story, but we rarely know the stories within others because we don’t know how to ask.

You can learn to turn off that ugly, negative “chatter” in your head, and use good memories, jokes, or funny books to help you get through the tough times. I’m not minimizing the pain of grief. I know very well how real it is and how important it is to nurture your pain.

When I was in sixth grade, my very excellent teacher, Mrs. McEwen, taught me the power of writing—and of humor. One Monday morning, she began to read some funny stories to the class. She read such stories every day for four days, to give us examples of humorous writing.

I despise the word “widow.” Actually, before I became one, I never really thought about it much. But now I avoid the word whenever possible.